struggling to trot

[LUCY007]

Please help. I am having a problem on the transition to the trot. I have now fallen forward twice when the horse takes off into a trot from the walk. I just freeze when she takes off. Any advise?

[imabrit_us]

How are you asking for trot? Are you half halting or balancing the horse before you ask so that the transition is smooth?

Perhaps you should have a lunge lesson so you can work on transitions. Are you sitting deeply in the saddle? Lunge lessons will help you do that.

One of the horses I ride "hops" into trot unless you balance and half halt her when you ask . . . I can see how that would be quite unseating/unbalancing to a very novice rider.

I know this will sound quite abstract, but try and visualize keeping your weight over your heels (remember that line ears, hips, heels) . . . and try and sink your weight down . . . long legs, softly wrapped around the horse. It will help with your balance.

N

[ajhainey]

Are you taking lessons or trying to teach yourself? No matter how much advse we give you will do much better with someone on the spot encouraging you and helping!

If you can't get a lunge lesson you could always ask just to be led by someone on the ground - you just hold the front of the saddle/neckstrap/mane and try and get the feel for it while the leader takes repsonsibility for the horse :) Especially if you are nervous of the extra speed this can really help!

Sorry thats so vague but if you give us a bit more detail we might be able to offer some more detailed tips.

Good Luck

aj xx

[LUCY007]

I am getting lessons from a trainer.He basically asks her to trot and gives her a slap on her butt. The transition is not smooth. Hazel will be walking and then suddenly take off into a trot. This is when I freak out. I think I will work on my balancing.

Thanks guys.

Ps my trainer seems to be losing interest in the lessons. In the beginning he was very enthusiastic and encouraging. Now he seems rather bored.I have been riding for six weeks now. I think it might be a good idea to try someone else but I think I would feel uncomfortable in a group (I am getting one on one lessons now). I am also used to the horse. Any suggestions.

[cvb]

Lucy

Where are you ? (your profile doesn't say)

He basically asks her to trot and gives her a slap on her butt.

Ok - who's riding this horse - you or him :eek: ?

You're riding - so YOU ask, and then YOU are prepared for the transition and will be more able to balance through it !

Its like when you are in a car - the driver has much better awareness of the bumps coming up and hence does not get thrown around so much (my sister has one ROUGH drive to her house ;) )

but I think I would feel uncomfortable in a group

why ? group lessons can be great for beginners. For a start off you don't feel like you're the only clutz in the world ;). Then you can learn by watching the others as well. You will find you all sympathise and share notes (if its a decent group). AND - even tho you are getting less 1-to-1 attention, because it is shared with the others - that can help because it gives you more time to absorb what is being said and try it out, then practice it :D

One riding tip - make sure you don't hold your breath. Breathe out as you go to trot.

OK - one other riding tip - look where you are going ! If you look down at the horse it destablises your whole upper body and makes it more likely that you will tip forward or back when the horse moves.

[LUCY007]

Thanks for the replies. You guys are great. I am out in South Africa and its rather difficult to find a school near where I live.I will definitely work on the advice you guys have given me. Whish me luck. Here's to me conquering the trot. I will keep you posted.

[Wally]

You need to be balanced and so does the horse.

Imagine the reins as a way to allow the energy tou have just created with your legs to be used in a controlled way.

If you ask some willing horses to trot withoput having them "between you hand and leg" they will just take off in a faster and faster trot. You need to create the oomph with your leg then make sure your reins contain the energy and let it out in a controlled manner so you get a good rythm, no rushing.

It's early days yet, don;t worry it's not easy....especially if the horse is not an old school master who will automatically work away in a rythm and actually teach YOU to balance.

[imabrit_us]

Slaps her on the butt??? What is this guy THINKing.

Every instructor who teaches at my yard says . . . "when you're ready, go forward to trot/walk/halt/canter." When I'm ready. When I feel as though I and the horse are balanced and physically and mentally prepared for the transition. I'm the one giving the aids. I'm the one riding the horse.

It's up to you, but I'd switch instructors.

[Bell]

Hi,

I started recently and have been taking group lessons, now I'm heading off to have some one to one. Group lesson & hack once a month. (I love wnadering through ther woods with the ponies/ horses & I think they like the break from paddock lessons too) I'm still working on rising trot(only getting it right breifly last week!) I started my first lessons with my poor instructor running round the paddock with us, while one of the other girls shouted instructions. I feels much more confident and didn't notice when she started to let go :D It was a very gradual move from fast walk to trot.
I'd be tempted to try a group lesson. I enjoy the chat with the others (mostly younger than me and they do laugh at my bouncing around) but they have helped me with extra tips like tack and my choice of boots (try ebay its great)
Just really wany top encourage you. I think it must be harder on your own.

Have fun
bell

[Dummer&Drummer]

you freeze - boy i have been there - a simple explanation 'may' just be that you need to relax, if you are really tense then you are going to fall forward at the slightest movement

lean back and relax your back, shoulders and 'mind' :) and ask for trott

[Dummer&Drummer]

hi, there may just be a very simple explanation as well, you may be a little tense and also this may of been made worse cos you are anticipating falling forward

try to relax your back and shoulders and 'mind' :) lean back slightly when you ask for trott head up and relax, if you are quite nervous and tense this will cause you to fall forward with any movement from the horse as you may be too ridged - all of us nervous riders experience this, keep working hard and trying and you will be trotting round lovely soon :) good luck - and chin up :)

[vjoy23]

Ok its probably already been said but i'll say a few things.

When your horse moves forward to trot just sit in the saddle until you feel comfortable enough to rise. Don't lose your nerve as that would be a real shame as your just starting out and once you get going you'll be cantering as much as you can. Just sit bad relax your shoulders and when your ready to trot give the aid, sit until you're ready to do otherwise. If your doing sitting trot then really sit as if you've got glue on your ass bones but relax your back and legs (not too much). Keep your shoulders back and your ear, shoulder, hip, heal line that way you shouldn't lose balance.

[pengapenga]

Hi Lucy007, I would look around for another instructor, one who is interested in teaching you :) not surprised you get a fright and tense if the trainer gives her a whack :eek: . As the others have said try relaxing a bit and has vjoy23 has said just sit in the saddle until you feel comfortabe enough to rise.
Good luck.

(BTW I was a zimbabwean and learnt to ride there and I had a few of the type of trainer you have who would give the horse a whack, had one who walked in the middle of the arena with a crop in her hand whacking her boots loudly making the horses nervous and sometimes she would give them a whack with it! Quite a few time the horse would not go smoothly into the trot but would leap into it! oops sorry for the ramble just sympathising with you as I have been there and have survived ;) :D )

[Dummer&Drummer]

so do you feel you get on with your instructor, is he/she doing you some good

my instructor has an unorthodox way of teaching to all of your instructors, as i am sure you have all reaslised but he is the best - and he is still the best even when i curse him under my breath sometimes :)

any instructor will know that it is easier to stay on a horse if it is trotting well, trott then back to walk all of the time is not easy for a novice to stay on - is this what you instructor is doing making it easier for your horse to trott, giving it a clearly signal than you can at the moment to help you??

i dont like to judge any instructor,i am sure they are not all good, but i like to presume they know what they are doing - do you click with him or her?? that is the most important thing, and something you have to answer for yourseslf, the way they teach is only a matter of our 'opinion' - i am sure that all instructors have very different methods of teaching - but you must get on with your instructor, and does his/her method suit you :)

i am sure that in a couple of weeks you will be putting in a new thread saying 'wow i did it i can trott' :) x

[LUCY007]

Hey guys

Thank you all for the responses, advice and support. It really helps since I dont take group lessons I sometimes feel like an idiot if my instructor has to keep on telling me to keep my heels down and how to hold the reins. Sometimes I think I'm not meant to be a rider. But you guys have been wonderful and I'm going to keep trying. I think falling off twice has made me super nervous. Hazel doesnt have a smooth transition and she tends to bounce into the trot. My instructor seems to be cool ( I havent tried anyone else) But he is very supportive. I think ( and hope) he knows what he is doing. I am going to try the trot until I get it right and you guys will be the first to know about it.

[vjoy23]

I don't know if you have a body protector but maybe it might be wise to invest in one?? I was nervous as hell when I first started riding again and I tended to tense up really easily. For some reason wearing a body protector makes me feel so much more confident, i say in my head if I come off atleast I've got some protection and potentially it could save my life. It also helps your position, I used to sit like a sack of potatoes. Just a thought if you are nervous I don't know how to explain the feeling it gives you to feel a little bit safer.

[Dummer&Drummer]

i agree with Vjoy, also a body protector will help you sit up tall and straight

[Pickles]

It worries me to hear you think you are not meant to be a rider after only 6 lessons! There are loads of people on here (me included) who have been riding for years and still have tonnes of problems.

The transitions between paces are the most unbalancing times when you are learning to ride. At your stage I would be concentrating on your balance once the trot gets going, follow the tips everyone has given and most of all try not to tense up.

Even after lots of time riding I sometimes come across instructors who feel they have to slap, yell or swish a whip to encourage a lazy horse I am riding to go forwards. There is nothing worse in my opinion, it can make the horse tense up never mind the rider, I would think about finding a new instructor.

[imabrit_us]

One more thought . . . you say the horse's upwards transition is abrupt . . . is it abrupt even if the instructor doesn't "help her along"? If so, she may be unbalanced and just giving a squeeze down the outside rein (the one nearest the wall of the school) right before you ask for trot may help steady up and balance her. I sometimes ride a horse like this . . . she was used for driving before coming to our yard and so isn't used to having to balance herself carrying a human . . . if I don't steady her before I ask for trot, she almost leaps into it which I can imagine would be very unbalancing for someone who'd only had six lessons!

Please don't give up . . . I've been riding for almost a year and a half and I'm still absolutely rubbish . . . it's a sport/skill that takes ages to master but it's supposed to be fun. I still think you should seriously consider changing instructors.

N

[LUCY007]

Hi guys

I know that some of you have suggested finding a new instructor. What should I look for in an instructor? This is all so new to me, I dont think I could tell a good instructor from a bad one.

Ps I started learning in January. Ive had about 14 lessons to date.

[cvb]

Lucy - I'm not sure where you are ?

The first step is always to check that either the instructor or the scholl are "approved" by an appropriate body (BHS or ABRS in UK for example).

You might look at the instructors qualifications - but you can get some really advanced instructors who simply haven't bothered doing any more quals !

Then it comes down to the learning experience. Personal recommendation can help a lot but if not, go along and watch a lesson. What approach does the person take to their clients ? Do they create a safe learning environment ? Do they encourage learning through questions etc ? Are the resources appropriate (horses, arena, saddle/bridle, hats - safe yard, safe processes etc).

There are probably more - but that'll do for a start ;)

A lot goes on how you feel - does it feel welcoming, do the people and horses seem happy and so on.

[Dummer&Drummer]

hi lucy, i dont know much about instructors as i have only been riding since last september - but i tried a few riding schools before i decided on the one i am with now - in a instructor, for me, i wanted one that i could connect and get on with - one i could have an opinion with, one i could have a laugh with - and one that would make me work my butt off, let you make mistakes, correct them and have a go at things that you are capable of doing individually :) - hope that helps - also everyone who has been riding at my school has been there for years and my instructor taught their mum's before, so he has generations of pupils riding or who used to ride so that was a very good sign, also everyone down there pupils, parents, horse owners and staff are really really friendly and it is a very down to earth riding school/livery

[imabrit_us]

Ask yourself what your learning style is. Clicking w/ an instructor is partly about personality, kindness, aptitude for teaching and how they treat you and the horses, but it's also partly about whether the WAY they teach complements the way you learn.

I'm a very collaborative learner . . . and I'm very vocal, so I like an instructor who will talk me through why they're showing me something and let me chew over any challenges or problems I have out loud. I rode a couple of times in a group with an instructor who was very literal and more of the "do it" school and hated it. She's a very nice person, but our styles didn't go together. I'm also inclined to be nervous . . . so I need an instructor who will push me (but be sympathetic and keep me safe) rather than let my fears get the better of me. The instructor I currently have is 19 (half my age) and fearless, but very sensible . . . perfect for me . . . but maybe not for somebody else.

I totally agree that you should go and watch any potential instructor. Other than the obvious (do they seem to know what they're talking about), some other things to look for:

How do they treat/handle the horses? Are they kind to them or do they handle them roughly and w/ a lack of respect?

Are the horses generally well-behaved . . . safe and sensible but not kick-along and dead to the leg?

How is the yard organized? Is it clean, in good repair and does it have a good atmosphere?

How does the instructor treat the students? Is he/she clear w/ her instructions? Is he/she kind?

Does the lesson look like fun? This one's critical . . . my 7-year-old rides in a group class once a week (taught by my instructor) and they learn alot and have a ball . . . she's off this week so the lesson was taught by a junior member of staff instead . . . they probably spent 25 minutes of the 45 doing Round the World! This with kids who'd been doing a canter clinic less than a week before and are well along w/ pole work, etc. It was SO unimaginative and dull. Riding . . . whether you're a 7-year-old kid or a creaky 40-year-old like me . . . is supposed to be FUN. Exercises should be helpful (i.e., have a purpose . . . to sort out balance, strengthen position, improve coordination, get the horse working properly) but they should also be interesting, varied and fun to do . . . which isn't the same thing as easy!

Hope this helps.

N

[LUCY007]

Hi guys

Thanks for all the feedback. I am going to watch another instructor next week. He does group lessons (I am currently having one on one lessons). Maybe he will be more what I need.
My current instructor seems to have lost interest in teaching and what bothers me is that the other guys he was teaching have all left. I'm also not having fun in the lessons and if I cant have fun while learning something new, whats the point? He's great as a person but he might not be such a great teacher. So I will have to see how the other instructor checks out. The problem for me is that in my area there are really only about 3 riding schools to choose from and then you have to really travel to find more. So hold thumbs guys, I will let you know how it goes.

Ps I was wondering if you are learning in a group what happens if someone is a bit of a slower learner ? Does that person hold the group back ?
And what is "hacking" ?

[pengapenga]

Ps I was wondering if you are learning in a group what happens if someone is a bit of a slower learner ? Does that person hold the group back ?
And what is "hacking" ?

in Zim we called hacking an outride, not sure what it would be called in RSA. It is when you take the horse for a nice long ride in the bush, bridle path, beach etc. You will not be riding in a school arena. It is a lot of fun :D :D

Usually they try and group riders of a similar level in the same class. I would not worry if you feel you will slow everyone down, they are either at the same place as you or have been there. Concentrate on your riding don't worry about what the others are doing. Relax and have fun. It is great to ride as part of a larger group because you are able discuss things with your fellow classmates, see what others are doing and how they are doing may help you improve your riding and your confidence (to see some else make the same mistakes as you always makes you feel that you are not the only one in the world that looks like a wobbly jelly ;) ). :)

[TWH Addict]

:rolleyes: Buy a TWH - they dont trot (well most of em anyway heheh) :D

[Crazyhorse45]

Well coming from an advanced rider. What my instructor told me to do was sit back in the saddle.Not so far back but just a little bit.And try to post like a little told lady at the trot.So you won't go foward. :)

[Crazyhorse45]

Well if a slower learner is not up to speed with the rest of the group, the instructor will try to work with that student and try to bring them up to speed. But if He/She can't then he will be moved to another riding class. That is more the rider's pace.We have this boy in our riding class that is not really at our level so we are working with him to get him up to where we are in riding.But his getting there as we go along.He has really come along way.When we first started out, i was about to qiet.The reason is all we were doing was stopping, the horse walking ,the horse and trotting all the time i thought i was going to scream my head off. :mad:

[ponylover88]

...

[Dummer&Drummer]

My instructor is brill, he can teach different levels in a group lesson all specific to everyones needs and teaches them different ways to get the best result from them. he is the only one that ever teaches at our school. he is sixty four, i think :rolleyes: and is very very knowledgable and was a real winner in many fields in his younger days, gold cups coming out his ears :) he is a very clever teacher

[carrimclaren]

To be honest lucy you sound so disheartened :( Riding is fun, it should never make you feel that bad about yourself. I'm not a natural rider i can assure you and i know this and feel happy admitting it. But i don't care. I don't want to be doing hickstead in a few years time, i don't want to be doing top dressage so at the end of the day i'm doing it for me and to have fun.
I spent the fist few months thinking oh god i'm an embarrassment, i can't ride, i'm letting everyone down etc. etc. but you tell me any learner that hasn't felt that way.
I don't usually comment on riding instructors but i think each of us has a personal preference, rather like teachers at school. e.g ridingtomy might feel her instructor is perfect but maybe if i or someone else had a lesson with him we'd walk away thinking erm never again he's an eejit. It's personal preference and like ridingtomy said how we converse with our instructor. I was taught by a very high standard person a few times and while i felt he could teach me a lot i was put off slightly by the fact that he just didn't understand lack of confidence. My best friend took to him like a duck to water and never looked back. Now she teaches me instead ;)
Whatever you decide good luck and don't give up just because of one low point, soon you'll think what on earth did i used to do that for.

p.s apologies for the waffling on :p

[KayJay]

Hi Lucy,
I know exactly what you mean about not feeling as if you're supposed to ride. I'm still there after 10 hours of lessons, but I enjoy it so much and the challenge is in knowing I'll get it eventually. I've found that, like no other skill, riding skills seem to plateau for ages. I had major problems getting my canter and then one lesson, it was just there! Unfortunately, I'm now back at that stage as I'm learning signals for my own horse and I haven't had a really nice long canter from him yet. But he is giving lots of confidence.

As for what to look for in an instructor, I think you are the only person that can answer that. I needed someone friendly, but who would also be completely straight- I want to know if I'm doing terribly or if I'm not working hard enough. I am sticky to individual lessons, although I have had a few group lessons with students practising for instructor exams. The group lessons were fun, but I didn't feel I got as much from them because I didn't feel I had eyes on me the whole time. Having said that, it was useful being able to watch other people in the ride doing a move just before I had to..

Whatever, keep going. If it's something you love, enjoy it.

[halllv]

Hey dont worry its sounds as though your doing fine. I used to fall forward all the time and it was because I was nervous and unbalanced. I've been riding since end of September and I've finally got a decent balanced trot. (Watching my 13 year old daughter who started at the same time as me cantering confidently and staring small jumps doesn't help!) I find it so frustrating that I'm not as good as I want to be but I've accepted that and I think its better to take your time and do it right. Stick with it if I can do it anyone can :)

[Dummer&Drummer]

dont get disheartened - my first couple of months of riding was a disaster, i could not rise and trott and sit and trott was very painful - my first canter i followed another horse in a straight line down the field, i could not steer and my language was apaulling. i was led for about a month. when i sat on a new horse at the begining of my first few lessons, the horse sneezed, i screamed and chucked my reins in the air, shouting at my instructor, what is the horse doing, and got off hysterically sobbing - very embarrassing being an adult beginer with lots of children and parents watching you. this then led onto getting my instructor to bring me out a glass of his finest wine before i got on, and i got on one side and nearlly toppled off the other :rolleyes: i fell off most weekends and if i managed to stay on i was bucked off - but it will all come together for you in the end, then i found a way to give me some confidence, and that was to become very vocal, shouting like a man to get my lazy old horse to move and subsequently became a bit of a brute rider - looked terrible, sounded awful, but boy did that lazy horse moving for me - then i brought my own horse and i am not trying to learn to ride like a lady :p and to make it look easier and not quite so energetic - god anyone watching my first 4 months of riding were tired just watching

[Moomin]

I think the most important thing in an instructor is that you like them and their style of teaching. I have tried a few on the grounds that I'm paying so I want some quality, and I now have two whom I greatly trust and my horse likes the things they suggest - most importantly no whip cracking or bottom slapping!!

I also tink think that things like your heels going down and your position and confidence will come with time - when you feel genuinely relaxed you will naturally just unwind and sit better and things will feel better. I started learning to ride properly as an adult and I can still remember the day when my hands miraculously stopped bobbing up and down when I was doing rising trot!! I also remember when I found an instructor who properly explained what your body is meant to do in rising trot too... invaluable.

I have just had to relearn a lot of my riding as I didn't ride my horse very much for the first year I had her (due to her delinquency!) and I've found that it has taken a while for me to loosen up again but now I feel at home in the saddle again.

Time, time, time - it takes time but its worth it. Persevere - and get a new instructor without a whip!!

[FreedomStar]

lucy, I got one thing to tell you. If the instructor is that uninterested, then it's time you found a new one. You cannot learn properly from an instructor who does not want to teach. When you find a new instructor, who really enjoys teaching, then you will know the difference. You've been riding for 2 months? that's not very long at all. Don't feel discouraged!! Keep working at it, and keep asking questions, why do you have to do this, what happens when you do this, I don't understand this, etc. That's how we all learn, we ask questions and such.

edit: i just want to add, you never stop learning. No matter how old and experienced you are. Even people like David O' Conner, or those on the A Circuit, are ALWAYS learning even if they are unaware. We can never learn enough about horses.

[roxycutie]

Just remember to always be loose, don't be so stiff. Feel the horse- figure out the movements... Remember heels down, chin up, shoulders back. But you cant be limp, eiter- the horse is not a couch. :rolleyes: